SNIPR Biome further strengthens CRISPR/Cas IP portfolio with patent grant

• Patent issuance adds to SNIPR's extensive intellectual property portfolio, comprising more than 60 granted worldwide patents, including in the USA and Europe
• Patent covers the use of killing of bacteria at least 1000-fold in a microbiome using any CRISPR/Cas system
• USPTO has also issued a Notice of Allowance for methods of using CRISPR lytic phage

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Dec. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SNIPR Biome ApS ("SNIPR" or "the Company"), the company pioneering CRISPR-based microbial gene therapy, announces today the grant of a new patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This patent represents a further addition to the Company's extensive intellectual property portfolio, comprising more than 60 granted patents worldwide covering SNIPR's technology platform, which enables editing of prokaryotes using CRISPR/Cas.

The USPTO has granted patent number US11,517,582, which covers the use of CRISPR/Cas systems to achieve selective killing of bacteria by at least 1000-fold in situations where bacteria are growing in a mixed population. This patent covers the use of any type of CRISPR/Cas.

In natural environments, such as in gut microbiomes, bacteria are found growing in mixed populations and it has been difficult to selectively target individual bacterial species with conventional broad-spectrum antibiotics. SNIPR's CRISPR technology provides a highly selective way to target individual bacterial strains for killing which can be useful for the prevention and treatment of any indication where a specific bacterial strain is the underlying cause of a disease, such as an infection.

SNIPR has also received an allowance by the USPTO indicating that it will shortly grant a US patent broadly covering methods of using CRISPR lytic phage, by use of any CRISPR/Cas system and for any application (US 15/817,144). This expands the Company's portfolio protecting CRISPR lytic phage. In August 2022, SNIPR was awarded patent number US11,400,110 which covers lytic phage armed with CRISPR gene editing systems. CRISPR and phage lysis of target bacteria is a potent combination for therapeutics, with potential for broad application, including the targeting of any bacteria for any medical use.

Dr Christian Grøndahl, Co-founder and CEO of SNIPR Biome, commented: "This expansion of our patent estate strengthens our already extensive intellectual property portfolio covering the use of CRISPR/Cas to edit prokaryotes. SNIPR Biome has exclusive, worldwide rights to this patent estate for medical applications, which supports our pipeline and lead program SNIPR001, a CRISPR-armed bacteriophage cocktail that targets the prevention of antibiotic-resistant E. coli infections in hematological cancer patients.  We will continue our pioneering work in this field as we advance our mission of developing CRISPR-based medicines for the benefit of patients suffering from life-threatening diseases."

Earlier this year, the Company made its IP available for academic and non-profit research use without a written license. Parties interested in licensing SNIPR's intellectual property should contact the Company at partnering@sniprbiome.com.

Acknowledgement and disclaimer: 

Research reported in this communication is supported by CARB-X. CARB-X's funding for this project is sponsored by the Other Transaction Agreement Number 75A50122C00028 from ASPR/BARDA and by an award from Wellcome. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of CARB-X or any of its funders. 

About CARB-X

Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) is a global non-profit partnership dedicated to accelerating early development antibacterial R&D to address the rising global threat of drug-resistant bacteria. CARB-X is led by Boston University and funding is provided by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Wellcome, a global charity working to improve health worldwide, Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the U.K. Department of Health and Social Care's Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (GAMRIF), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and with in-kind support from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). CARB-X supports the world's largest and most innovative pipeline of preclinical and early-stage development products against antibiotic-resistant infections. CARB-X is headquartered at Boston University School of Law. For more information, view a fact sheet on CARB-X's first five years and the 2020-2021 annual report. Visit carb-x.org and follow CARB-X on Twitter @CARB_X. 

About SNIPR BIOME

SNIPR Biome is a clinical-stage company developing precision medicines for vulnerable patients with difficult-to-treat conditions. We are pioneering a novel use of CRISPR/Cas technology to better treat and prevent human diseases through precision killing of bacteria or gene modification. SNIPR Biome is a leader in this transformational area of science, with a clinical trial underway, strong IP, and a diverse and experienced team. We are the first company to orally dose humans with a CRISPR therapeutic and the first company to have been granted a patent for the use of CRISPR for targeting microbiomes. SNIPR was awarded a grant by CARB-X of up to $10.2M  for CRISPR-based treatment of haematological cancer patients at risk of neutropenic fever and life-threatening infections (SNIPR001). In addition, SNIPR and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have a strategic collaboration aimed at advancing new CRISPR-based therapeutics to reduce immune-related adverse events (irAE) in patients being treated with combined immune checkpoint inhibitors. In addition, SNIPR has developed a platform that uses CRISPR technology to achieve gut-directed gene therapy. SNIPR and Novo Nordisk have entered into a research agreement to evaluate the latter technology on an undisclosed target. SNIPR is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. For more details, visit www.sniprbiome.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Contacts

SNIPR Biome
Dr. Christian Grøndahl, Co-founder and CEO
E-mail: cg@sniprbiome.com
Mobile: +45 20202747

www.sniprbiome.com 

Please follow us on LinkedIn & Twitter: @sniprbiome

Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott, Tracy Cheung, Chris Welsh
Tel: +44 (0) 203 709 5700 
SNIPR@consilium-comms.com

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